An early morning joyride on Harley Davidson bike proved costly for a youth from Delhi who was critically injured on the Noida-Greater Noida Expressway on Sunday after it hit a road divider.

Kunal Bhatia, 19, son of a realtor, was part of 'hog boys' - as Harley owners group is referred - who were driving on the expressway near Pari Chowk.

The mishap occurred at around 6 am when Bhatia lost control of the bike and rammed into the divider, station house officer (Kasna) Sama Kant Tripathi said.

The motorbike involved in the accident

He was rushed to Kailash Hospital, Greater Noida, by one of the co-riders where his condition was stated to be critical, Tripathi said.

'Though the riders who approached us after the accident claimed that Bhatia was injured after his bike slipped, the exact reason for the mishap is yet to be ascertained. We have not registered any case so far,' he said.

Police suspect that the group was racing on the expressway. In an attempt to outrace each other, Bhatia might have lost control over the bike and hit the divider, they said.

Though he was wearing a helmet, it slipped off due to the impact of the accident and his head hit a big stone on the road. 'He has suffered a serious head injury and is currently in the ICU,' said an official at the hospital.

The Noida-Greater Noida Expressway has witnessed a number of fatal accidents

'There were several Harley Davidson bikes in the morning, perhaps belonging to the group, parked outside when he was brought here,' said a source at the hospital.

While sources in the police said Bhatia was racing with the group, consisting of eight-nine youths on five bikes, the SHO said, 'We have no evidence to say that they were racing. The group could be believed on their version as Harley Davidson is a heavy bike and it could have slipped due to whatever reasons possible.'

Bhatia is said to be the son of a prominent businessman operating a leading real estate firm out of Gurgaon. The family stays in South Extension Part-I.

In another incident, an Audi car hit a bike in the Dankore area of Greater Noida on the Yamuna Expressway on Sunday morning.

'The incident occurred while they were changing lanes. The injured has been admitted to Kailash Hospital.

The injured have been identified as Sayed Rahbar Alam and Abu Fahad. The car has been impounded,' Dankore SHO Ashwani Kumar said.